OVO, the UK’s third largest energy supplier, has announced the launch of an new trial helping customers to cut usage during peak times and save money. The trial, called Power Move, rewards customers up to £100 in total for moving non-essential energy use to times when the grid is (on average) less congested.
Data from the trial will be used to understand usage during peak times and develop propositions that support a greener, fairer and more resilient energy system. OVO has used customer data to determine that between 4pm - 7pm is when demand on the energy grid is usually the highest.
Its data shows that the average household uses 19% of their daily total usage during these hours. At these times of peak demand, there’s often not enough renewable energy to go round, and so dirtier carbon-heavy power fires up to fill the gap. The company is looking for participants to cut their average consumption during these hours to less than 12.5%. For the average household, that could be the equivalent of moving three loads of washing per week from peak time to a greener time of day.
